New Delhi, Nov 22 - India's much awaited professional football tournament, I League, starts Saturday with Dempo Sports Club facing Salgaocar in a Goan derby at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao.The I League, named on the lines of Japan's J League, is the first step towards professionalising Indian football and will be held according to the guidelines of the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Professional League. The new league also replaces an 11-year-old semi-professional National Football League (NFL).Dempo, who won the last edition of the NFL, will try to retain the top spot in the league despite a bad start to the new season. Dempo is currently the richest club in the history of Indian football but were knocked out in the season starting Federation Cup. The club also failed to retain the Durand Cup.The league will start with 10 teams and every year two teams will be relegated and four teams would be promoted taking the number of teams to 16 in three years. The tournament would be played in the same home and away format. In fact the AFC has set the criteria for the All India Football Confederation (AIFF) for three years.If the AIFF follows the criteria successfully for three years, then the clubs would be eligible to qualify for the AFC Champions League.The following is the schedule of the first phase of the league:Round I:Nov 24: Dempo vs. Salgaocar, GoaNov 25: East Bengal vs. Viva Kerala, Kolkata;Churchill Brothers vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, GoaMahindra United vs. Air India, MumbaiNov 26: Mohun Bagan vs. JCT, KolkataRound II:Nov 28: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Dempo, GoaNov 29: Mohun Bagan vs. Viva Kerala, KolkataSalgaocar vs. Air India, GoaMahindra United vs. Churchill Brothers, MumbaiNov 30: East Bengal vs. JCT, KolkataRound III:Dec 2: Mohun Bagan vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, KolkataDec 3: Air India vs. Viva Kerala, MumbaiEast Bengaal vs. Salgaocar, KolkataDec 4: Churchill Brothers vs. Dempo, GoaJCT vs. Mahindra United, Punjab
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
